Kerala polls: State witnesses sporadic incidents of fake votes, clashes; one dead

Amid polling in Kerala, the state also witnessed sporadic incidents of fake votes, clashes, arrest and one death. Voting machine problems were also reported from some of the booths. However, the state recorded 73 per cent of polling by 7 PM.

Thiruvananthapuram: As the polling took place across all the 140 constituencies in Kerala, incidents of sporadic violence and fake votes were reported from a few places in the State.

As per reports, a person was picked and taken into custody by the police for attempting to cast a fake vote at Thazhe Chovva in Kannur. Valiyannur native Saseendran is in police custody for a fake vote attempt.

At Pattambi, Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Muhammed Muhsin has alleged a ‘vote deal’ between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress in the constituency.

United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Adv VP Abdul Rasheed alleged rampant fake votes in Taliparamba. Rasheed demanded that the Election Commission must intervene as the CPM workers attacked the UDF workers who tried to prevent fake polling.

In the conflict that took place between the workers of the Left and the UDF, many, including women, who had come to vote were hurt. Booth agent at booth number 117, Samad Kadamberi, was also attacked. Police intervened to end the tiff.

The CPM workers allegedly assaulted the presiding officer, Panoor native Muhammed Ashraf Kalathil, at 105 A booth in Kandankali School, Payyannur.

There was also a complaint from Taliparamba constituency, Cheriyoor 1 A booth that the LDF booth agent allegedly hit the UDF booth agent as he tried to prevent a fake vote.

Kuttiyeri village Cheriyoor UDF booth agent V Krishnan was the agent who was manhandled. He has been admitted to Taliparamba Lourde’s hospital. The Congress leaders alleged that the CPIM is trying to sabotage the election in Idukki.

A vehicle that reached Nedumkandam from Tamil Nadu was stopped by the BJP workers. The BJP workers alleged that those who were in the vehicle had cast their votes in Tamil Nadu and were trying to remove the ink mark from their fingers to cast multiple votes.

All the 14 persons who were in the car were taken into custody by the Police, though there is no evidence of them having cast votes in Tamil Nadu, before reaching Kerala, the police clarified.

The Youth Congress workers stopped another vehicle that was headed to Tamil Nadu from Kambam Medu and stones were also pelted at two of the vehicles.

Meanwhile, a fake postal vote was found to have been cast in the name of an aged lady at Bison Valley.

The postal vote of Leelamma Loukose haling from Tea Company has been cast without her knowledge. When she reached to vote herself, Leelamma found that her vote has been cast already.

Following this, the police beefed up surveillance and vigil along the border zones and check posts. At Palakkad Music college, a vote was mistakenly cast in another person’s name. The incident happened at booth number 28 in Palakkad Music College as one of the two persons with the same names and addresses, reached the booth earlier and cast the vote in the other person’s number.

The person named Girish with serial number 1092 cast his vote under the serial number 1088. As the incident sparked controversy, the Election Officer intervened and solved the issue.

Meanwhile, at Alappuzha Thrikkunnappuzha, a person who stood and watched a conflict fell dead.

The LDF workers blocking UDF candidate Dharmajan Bolgatty at Balussery led to an argument.

Dharmajan had reached a school at Sivapuram for a booth visit when the LDF workers prevented him from entering the premises.

The BJP workers tried to prevent the media persons from taking visuals of actor Mammootty casting his vote.

Mammotty had reached Ponnurundi Christ King Girls School to cast his vote. Technical errors were reported in voting machines during the mock polling at many booths.

Technical snags developed in the voting machines during the mock polling at the 33 rd booth at Koliyadukkam Government U P School Kasaragod, the 95th booth at CKMM ALP School, in Panakkad Malappuram, the 59th booth in Irumbazhikkara Vaikkom.

Voting machine problems were also reported from booths number 185 and 187 in the Kanhangad constituency and Kottayam Thiruvambadi.

At Chirakkadavu, owing to the machine problem, more than 40 voters returned without casting their votes. At a polling booth in Konni, the polling was obstructed twice.

A polling officer who had reached Attappadi for election duty fell to a depth of 20 feet from the top of a building and sustained severe injuries.

The woman official who was deputed for election duty at Agali Government Vocational Higher Secondary School fell from the top of a three-storied building and was seriously injured. Two persons who had reached to vote from Kannur were injured in a wild boar attack at Thottumukkam in Kodiyathur.